


Together

by ready_to_kick_some_ass



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, FitzSimmons Seychelles Holiday, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Marriage Proposal, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:32:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18686059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ready_to_kick_some_ass/pseuds/ready_to_kick_some_ass
Summary: Jemma and Fitz finally get their vacation. On the Seychelles, they work through their traumas, fight off their fears and take another step into the right direction. Always together.Written for FitzSimmons Appreciation Week. Day 5 Prompt: Together





	Together

“This is marvellous,” Fitz says quietly. He sounds awestruck.

“Yes,” Jemma breathes, leaning her head against Fitz’s shoulder. “It’s stunning. Oh _Fitz_. I can’t believe we’re here.”

Finally.

They are standing barefoot in ivory-white, warm and soft sand, looking at the Indian Ocean stretching out in front of them impossibly far. Turquoise water, flat and crystal clear. Waves gently lap up on the beach, producing a soft rushing noise, that is only disturbed by occasional bird’s twittering. Palm trees are leaning over the shore. Lush hills and higher mountains are rising up in the distance.

The pictures in all the travel guides for the Seychelles couldn’t have prepared them for this real-life wonder.

It’s so calm. So peaceful. It seems like they’ve found paradise on earth.

It’s almost too perfect. Too good to be true. Something inside her, a quiet but persistent force that has quietly built a protective wall around her heart and mind over the past few years of constant fighting and surviving, warns her not to let her guard down. _Be careful, Jemma. You still could be in danger. Like you have always been for the past years. This kind of life you led doesn’t just let you go, you know? Of course you do …_

Jemma shivers and wills the thoughts away, but it isn’t that easy. Of course.

Fitz looks at her as if he knows. A mild breeze ruffles his curls. He smiles and his eyes sparkle in the sun, reflecting the blue of the ocean. “Hey. This is it, Jems. We’re here. Together. Nothing is going to stop us from having a wonderful time."

“Yes. It’s just … we thought that before, didn’t we?” She says and sighs. She feels like she’s going to ruin this for them with her stupid worries ... “Sorry. I’m being ridiculous.”

“No,” Fitz says firmly, laying both hands on Jemma’s shoulders. “You’re not ridiculous. You’ve been through a lot. You learned to mistrust the universe. I did too. For years our lives were determined by danger and loss and violence. And we carry a bloody huge amount of baggage with us. But we’re not going to let this stop us. We have time. We can talk about everything. The whole night if we have to. In our bed in this little hut near the ocean. We’re going to talk and we’re going to sort this – us – out. I’m going to be with you the whole time.”

Jemma smiles. She feels her eyes tearing up. God. She loves him so much … “Even when I want to go snorkeling?” She asks teasingly.

Fitz laughs. “Yes. Even then. Even if I have to fear being swallowed by some shark thinking I’m a snack because of you … You know that I have no bloody luck.”

“There are no dangerous sharks in these coral reefs, Fitz,” Jemma says lovingly and kisses his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m going to warn you when I see something that could actually hurt you.”

“Good. I trust you,” Fitz says sincerely and lays his arm around her. She leans back against his chest with a content sigh, looking at the calm ocean in front of her. Her mind calms down.

***

Jemma awakes with a start in the middle of the night, the vague echo of some dream reverberating in her mind. A vast desert and sharp mountains, wreathed in blue mist …  
She shudders involuntarily and blinks into the darkness surrounding her confused. Something familiar is missing … The whirring sounds of the Zephyr, the sounds of machines, the … But she’s not on the Zephyr anymore, she starts to remember.  

She’s on the Seychelles. Together with Fitz.

 _Fitz_.

Jemma feels a momentarily hint of well-known panic. How many nights did she wake up, reaching for him only to remember he’s gone? How many nights did she start to cry into the pillow or into one of Fitz’s shirts, cursing everything and nothing, begging an unknown force to give her her husband back? So many nights …

But now, in this night, he’s there. Fitz is there.  
Jemma turns around to face him. Her eyes have gradually adjusted to the darkness and she sees the contours of his face in the dim light the moon is throwing inside the room. Relaxed and peaceful. His forehead free of lines of worry.

Jemma carefully moves closer to him, until she can feel his warmth. The horror of the nightmare disappears slowly, while she is remembering the last evening. It was lovely. They had an amazing dinner. Candle-light, champagne, a lot of foreign delicious dishes to try out. Fitz is awfully picky when it comes to food, but he tried an oyster for her and although he had to flush it down with a sip of champagne, he said it didn’t taste half as bad as he’d expected. They shared a cup of ice cream afterwards and Jemma feels like she can still feel the pleasant sweetness on her tongue.

They were too tired after dinner to do much else than laying in bed, but they talked a lot. They talked about the past, present and future. There were some tears. And a combination of overwhelming emotions … But there was also so much love, silent and calm. Warm and ever-lasting. They fell asleep to the soft rushing of the ocean outside.

Jemma thinks they could actually heal here. It’s a start.

She doesn’t know if she ever wants to go back to Shield. When they left, she still called it a vacation, but it felt like more. And the others looked at her as if they knew …

When Daisy asked, “Are you ever coming back?”, her voice filled with careful hope, Jemma shook her head and said, “I don’t know.”

That’s the truth. Nothing but the truth.

Maybe this part of their life is over. Maybe. But she doesn’t want to throw it away. After all, they have found a family there.

Fitz makes a quiet noise in his sleep.

Jemma smiles. She lays a hand on his arm. To feel a connection. She falls asleep a few moments later, imagining some happy moments for the next days.

***

Jemma takes a deep breath. She looks into the water and shivers slightly. It didn’t look so deep when they were standing on the beach … But now they’re on a little boat, floating on the surface of the calm ocean. They can still see the beach, they really aren't that far in the open, but …  she suddenly feels nauseous.

 _Ocean. Deep water. No light. No air. No … Desperation fills every cell of her mind, as she struggles to reach the surface. It’s so far away. And she’s incredibly exhausted … Her lungs are burning. The hand holding Fitz by the collar of his jumper feels numb. He’s dead weight. Unconscious, she knows. She wishes, he would wake up. She wishes_ she _would wake up. Wishes that this was all just a bad dream …_  
_She can see a glimpse of light above her. But it’s still so, so far away._  
_Please … please let me be strong enough. Please. I need to … God. I need air. It’s too much. It’s too … It’s taking too long._  
_Fitz._  
_Oh Fitz._  
_Please don’t be dead, Fitz. Please …_

Jemma sobs.

“Hey. Jemma, breathe. Breathe for me.”

_Fitz …_

His voice is right in front of her. It sounds worried.

Jemma reaches for him blindly and he understands, hugging her close. Their bare skin connects, and she breathes in his scent, slowly coming back to reality. She’s not floating in the heavy darkness of the ocean. She’s not trying to save them. There’s no danger. They’re on vacation, just about to make a new experience.

Jemma opens her eyes and sighs. “I don’t know why … I’m sorry. I’m …”

“Don’t say that,” Fitz tells her, stroking through her hair. “You don’t need to feel sorry. You … Did you have a flashback?”

“I … Yes.”

Fitz nods. There’s a lost expression in his eyes as he looks over the flat surface of the ocean around them. “I had one too.”

Jemma looks up at him surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah. Do you remember how it was for me to take a shower shortly after I woke up? It was horrible. On bad days I couldn’t even wash my hair alone.”

“I remember … Oh God. This was a terrible idea,” she says, feeling tears burning in her eyes.

Fitz slowly shakes his head. “No. I don’t think so, Jemma. I think it’s a great idea. We shouldn’t let ourselves be restricted by our fears. You wanted to do this for so long. Let’s just do it. We can beat the fear, together.”

Jemma inhales shakily. “You think so?”

“Yes.” He takes her hand and squeezes it softly. “Together or not at all. Okay?”

Jemma nods, although she still feels nervous and her heart is beating fast in her chest. “Okay.”

Fitz smiles. The next moment, he lets go of her hand and jumps into the water. Jemma gasps, feeling her stomach drop. He breaches the surface after a heartbeat and smiles at her, “Come in. It’s so warm …”

Jemma hesitates. A hint of panic comes back. Darkness … no air … the surface unreachable …  
No.  
She shakes the panic off and sits on the edge of the boat. _You can do this … Fitz is there. He isn’t unconscious. And you are not in danger. You are going to see so many wonderful things …_  
_Colourful corals and fish and maybe even a little friendly shark and …_  
Jemma takes a deep breath and slides into the water slowly, until only her head is above the surface. She holds on to the edge of the boat with one hand, feeling her legs kicking the warm water.  
This actually feels quite pleasant, she thinks.

Fitz smiles at her. “You are so strong, Jemma,” he says softly. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” Jemma whispers. _I trust you with my life._  

“Then let go, Jemma. Let go.”

She inhales shakily and takes her hand from the edge of the boat.

Fitz smiles at her. “Good. Now, are you ready to see the world – hopefully not filled with hungry big sharks - right under our feet?”

Jemma laughs and nods. “Yes. Together?”

“Together. Always.”

Their hands intertwine as they dive underwater.

The view is taking her breath away. But it’s alright. She can breathe through the snorkel and Fitz is there beside her, awake and smiling. It’s alright.

It’s not dark at all.

There’s a whole other world around her and it’s marvellous.

 

***

  
“This was amazing, Fitz! I think I saw a parrot fish!”

Fitz laughs. “I saw a lot of fish too. I don’t know how they are called though."

They are having dinner on the veranda of a restaurant near the ocean. It’s slowly getting dark and the ocean sparkles in deep purple.  

Jemma is still feeling giddy with excitement, the images of the coral reef still in front of her eyes. It was so beautiful … She also feels a satisfactory hint of triumph. She and Fitz managed to defeat their fear. They just did it.

Jemma takes a sip of her champagne and notices Fitz looking at her with bright eyes, a dreamy smile lingering on his face. She feels a sudden violent rush of love for him and reaches over the table to cover his hand with hers.

Fitz makes a quiet noise in the back of his throat. He looks at their hands. “Are you happy?” He asks quietly.

Jemma smiles. “Yes. Very.”

“Good.” Fitz clears his throat. And suddenly, he gets up, only to sink down on one knee beside her place.

Jemma holds her breath. “Fitz?”

He looks up at her with a half-smile, pulling out a little black box from somewhere.

“Oh God,” Jemma breathes. Her knees start to feel like jelly.

She knows what’s in that box.

  
When she told Fitz about the wedding, a few days after they’ve found him in space, she had shown him their wedding bands. He looked at them for a long time. Eventually he said, “I can’t wear it.”

“Of course,” Jemma hurried to say. “You don’t have to.”

He looked up at her and his eyes were filled with tears. “I want to remember, Jemma. I want to see the look in your eyes when it happens. I want to hear your voice. I want to think about what to say when we are about to be husband and wife. I want to be _there_.”

“I know,” Jemma breathed. “I know …”

“Then will you wait? Until I … until I have the chance to do this properly?” He asked, his voice almost breaking. He looked desperate. Fearful. As if he really thought she would consider saying no …

“Of course, Fitz,” Jemma told him, cupping his face in her hands. “Of course, I will wait. I love you.”

“Thank you,” Fitz said, teary-eyed. “Thank you, Jemma.”

He put the rings back into the little black box then.

 

The box, that’s now in his hand. When he opens it, the rings in it sparkle in the candle light.

“Jemma,” Fitz said, his voice slightly hoarse. “I prepared words. But … I don’t know. I seem to have forgotten them. It’s just … I love you so much. Words can’t describe how much. You … you are my world. I can’t imagine a life without you. You’ve been with me the whole time. I know you imagined a life in Perthshire. I hope this can be the next part of our journey. I would love to spend the rest of my life with you there, and … and maybe build a little family. As long as you are happy, I am too. You are my past, present and future. And the universe can’t stop us. Not us. We are going to make the dreams we had come true. I know we can do it. Together. So, Jemma Anne Simmons, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Jemma breathes, and a tear runs over her cheek down to her chin. “Yes, Fitz. Always yes.”

She briefly thinks of the other Fitz. The one, who told her he doesn’t deserve her. The one, who did everything to find her. She won’t ever forget. He’s with her. With her and with Fitz. He’s a part of them. A star on their horizon.

Fitz slips the ring on her finger and kisses her.

Above them, a comet floats over the starry sky.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a native speaker and always grateful for being corrected! I'm constantly trying to improve my English, so please don't hesitate to tell me about mistakes. <3
> 
> Visit me on tumblr: [ready-to-kick-some-ass](https://ready-to-kick-some-ass.tumblr.com/) :)


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